Nose block for spectacle cases



March 8, 1949. PEARLSTElN 2,464,149

NOSE BLOCK FOR SPECTACLE CASES Filed March 25, 1946 IN VEN TOR.NOI'IILOJL earlsfiefla. BY

attorney Patented Mar. 8, 1949 UNITED STATE-h rare N 1" @EF l CENGSEIELOGK'FOR SPECTACLE CASES Application March 25, 1946,5erial No.656,819

-1 Claim. 1

The present invention relates to a novel artiole of manufacture, andmore particularly to a nose block for spectacle cases.

Heretofore nose blocls for optical cases have been made of wooden blocksshaped like an isosce es triangle with an opening bored therethrough forthe usual stud, which serves to se cure the block in the optical case.

This prior shape of nose block has been found unsatisfactoryparticularly for Zyl frames, that is, a pair of spectacles with rimsaround the lenses, as the rims are pressedagainst ;the lower portions ofthe sides of the triangular blocks. Such pressure not only tends totwist and Warp the bridge which connects the lenses together, but causesbreaking of the lenses and in particular at their connection to the armsof the bridge piece. The same is true Where frameless spectacles areused.

Accordingly one object of the present invention is to eliminate anycontact of the lens rims or the lenses with a nose block, by providingstraight sides from the base of the nose block, to thereby leave a gapbetween these sidesand the lens rims or the edges of the lensesdepending upon the type of spectacle mounted thereon.

These prior wooden nose blocks are usually cut out from Wooden panels ofa predetermined thickness which are first treated and painted orvarnished. Considerable care and time is required for the properselection of the Wood to be treated and out up into blocks or the blockswill split along the grain while they are being cut out. Also, everyblock out must have a stud hole bored through it, and unless the wood iscut on the proper bias of the wood grain the blocks will split duringthe stud hole boring step. Furthermore, after a wooden nose block hasbeen finished it is not of durable nature, and will split if the blocksare not handled carefully and when made for shipment as articles ofanufa if not packed prior to this final installation in an optical case,they will become damaged or split.

This disadvantage of splitting of wooden nose blocks is still presentafter they are installed in an optical case, and it has been found thatthey frequently split even without dropping or jarring the optical casein which they have been mounted due to their weakened condition from thestud hole boring step.

Accordingly another object of the present invention is to provide anovel metal nose block which is less expensive to manufacture than theprior wooden blocks, extremely durable and will not split duringmanufacture or during use.

A further object is to provide a novel metal nose block which can'bestamped, forged or molded from inexpensive sheet metal in one operationand requires no prior or subsequent painting or othertreatment such asis required in the manufacture of wooden nose blocks.

And still another object is to provide nose blocks formed with acountersunk stud opening, whereb the stud openings may be stamped andsimultaneously formed with a hole and a countersunk well around theopeningin one simple operation.

The above and other objects andnovel features of the invention will morefully appear from the following detailed description when the same isread in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is to be expresslyunderstood, however, that the drawings are for purposes of illustrationonly and are not intended as a definition of the limits ofthe'invention. Reference should be had to the appended. claim todetermine the limits of the presentinvention.

In the drawings wherein like reference characters refer to likepartsthroughout-the-several views:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a novel nose block mounted in aleather optical case.

Figure 2 is a rear view in perspective of the novel nose block.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal cross section view of the novel nose blockshowing a mounting and fastening stud and partial section of an opticalcase through which the stud projects, and

Figure 4 is a front elevation of my novel nose block showing it attachedwithin an optical case, and showing a pair of spectacles mounted overthe block.

Referring to the drawing, in detail, in the illustrated embodiment ofthe present invention, the device comprises a body it of a sheet ofrigid material bendable under pressure or heat, such as a plastic or ametal. This material has been stamped, forged and punched in oneoperation by opposed cutting, forming and punching dies, not shown, intoa five-sided body or pentagon member, specially shaped to protect thenose bridges of eyeglasses when the body I d is mounted in an opticalcase H by a stud H2. The stud l2 is of a conventional type and includesa head l3, a shank l4 and round rib l5 adapted to cooperate as a part ofa snap fastener, not shown, in the optical case flap to.

The nose block comprises a front panel or plate H of polygonal shape,bounded on all sides by a continuous flange 18 extending rearwardly fromeach edge of the plate IT in difierent planes perpendicular to the planeof the plate IT.

For example, in one plane the flange extends rearwardly to provide abase portion 20, in another plane perpendicular to the base, the flangedefines a pair of substantially parallel side portions 2| and 22,respectively. These side portions continue from the base portion 20 ateach round corner 23 and 24 of the body.

In still two other planes, the flange extends onwardly from the sideportions 2| and 22 into converging portions, 26 and 21 respectively.

The converging portions 26 and 2'1 terminate in a round nose or point28. Thus there is provided a hollow body having a specially shaped topor front plate l7 bounded by walls or flange portions 20, 2|, 22, 26 and21, all of which portions are part of a continuous flange 18 extendingrearwardly from the plane of the plate l1.

Above the base 20 and between the two parallel Walls 2| and 22, theplate H is pushed in so as to define a countersunk portion or well 30.The center of the well 30 is punched out to provide an opening 3|, whichreceives the stud 52.

When the nose block 10 is applied to the inner wall of an optical caseH, as best shown in Figure 3, the stud has its shank 14 extending beyondthe edge of the flange and on through the wall of the case.

The stud l2 secures the nose block to the leather Wall of the case H asits head i3 seats at the bottom of the well or countersunk portion 30,and this head pulls the edges of the continuous flange 18 against theleather wall of the case when the end of the stud is upset against theoutside wall of the case into the rounded portion l5, previouslymentioned, which cooperates to fasten the closure flap of the case.

The function of the novel configuration of the nose block of the presentinvention is illustrated in Figure 4, which shows a pair of framelessspectacles 40 mounted on the same. For example, the bridge 4! with noseengaging pads 42 and 13 of the spectacles fits over the rounded point 28engagement with the nose block flange portions 26 and 21 and the lenses44 and 45 of the spectacles are spaced away from the flange portions 2!and 22 for the reasons hereinbefore e plained.

Without further description it is ught that the advantages of thepresent novel nose block over the prior art will now be apparent andthere is thus provided a novel nose block adapted to provide greatersecurity against lens breakage than heretofore. Also, there is provideda more economical durable, and superior article of manufacture thanheretofore was possible for such articles.

What I claim is:

A spectacle case nose block comprising an elongated one-piece polygonalbody having a front plate tapered at the top, said plate being boundedby flanges at right angles to each other around its lower half andbounded by upwardly converging flanges around its upper tapered top, anda countersunk opening in the lower half of said plate for a stud toproject through to thereby secure the body within a spectacle case.

NORMAN PEARLSTEIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 423,730 Charlton Mar. 18, 18901,490,298 Tefft Apr. 15,1924 1,635,311 Corrigan July 12, 1927 1,779,147Richardson Oct. 21, 1930 1,861,648 Vehko June '7, 1932 2,133,445 GuerinOct, 18, 1938 2,203 402 Bausch June 4, 1940 2,332,266 Segal Oct. 19,1943

